Emotional Intelligence and Job Stress of Clinical Nurses in Local Public Hospitals

Sook Lee

doi:10.11111/jkana.2010.16.4.466

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Lee: Emotional Intelligence and Job Stress of Clinical Nurses in Local Public Hospitals

Original Article

Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration

Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration 2010; 16(4): 466-474.

Published online: 31 December 2010

DOI: https://doi.org/10.11111/jkana.2010.16.4.466

Emotional Intelligence and Job Stress of Clinical Nurses in Local Public Hospitals

Sook Lee¹

¹Associate Professor, Department of Nursing, Dankook University, Korea.

Correspondence: Lee, Sook. Department of nursing, Dankook University, San 29, Anseodong, Dongnam-Gu, Cheonan 330-714, Korea. Tel: 82-41-550-3887, Fax: 82-41-550-3888, sooklee@dku.edu

Received 27 October 2010 Revised 30 November 2010 Accepted 30 November 2010

Abstract

Purpose

This study was done to identify the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and job stress of clinical nurses in small to medium-sized hospitals.

Methods

Data were collected from a convenience sample of 152 nurses working in 4 local public hospitals in one district. EI was measured with the scale developed by Law, Wong, & Song (2004), and job stress with the scale by Choi, Kang, & Woo (2006). Data were analyzed with PASW (SPSS) 18.0, using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Scheffe' test, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple regression.

Results

There were significant differences in EI according to work time, in self-emotional appraisal according to salary, in regulation of emotion according to marital status, age, work time, and salary. There were also significant differences in job stress including somatization, depression and anger according to marital status, work time, and salary. Correlation between EI and job stress was negative. EI explained 17.3% of variance in job stress.

Conclusion

The findings indicate that to decrease job stress, nursing managers need to develop EI, especially self-emotional appraisal and regulation of emotion for nurses in their twenties and for unmarried nurses.

Keywords: Emotional Intelligence, Psychological Stress, Anger, Emotional Labor

Figures and Tables

Table 1

Emotional intelligence and job stress of the subjects (N=152)

Table 2

Differences in emotional intelligence by general characteristics (N=152)

MS=marital status, RA=Relaxation activity, SEA=Self Emotional Appraisal, OEA=Others Emotional Appraisal, UOE=Use of Emotion, ROE=Regulation of Emotion

Table 3

Differences in job stress by general characteristics (N=152)

MS=Marital status, RA=Relaxation activity

Table 4

Correlations of emotional intelligence and job stress (N=152)

Table 5

Influencing emotional intelligence factors on job stress (N=152)

^*Standaridized β

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